RED CLOUD GARRISON, South Korea - Republic of Korea chaplains approaching graduation from the ROK Army Administrative School visited Camp Red Cloud Nov. 9 as part of the ROKA Chaplain Officer Advanced Course.
Chap. (Lt. Col.) Raymond A. Robinson Jr., 2nd Infantry Division chaplain, said the Korean chaplains visited the U.S. Army installations for training with their American counterparts and "to build relationships and enhance our capability to support each other."
As part of the trip, the Korean chaplains visited the 2nd Infantry Division Museum where they learned about the shared 2nd Inf. Div. and ROKA history.
"I learned a lot about the history of 2nd ID and the U.S. chaplain throughout the tour," said ROKA Capt. Jung Eun-woong, 1st Cavalry Brigade chaplain. "There are a lot of differences between U.S. and ROKA chaplains. For example, we are more of Soldier-friendly chaplains, while the U.S. chaplains are more family-friendly."
Following lunch in the Commanding General's Mess, the chaplains watched a presentation about the beginning of the U.S. Chaplain Corps, heard a personal story from a chaplain who served in a war zone and had a question and answer period.
"The U.S. chaplains are very developed in counseling," said Lt. Col Han Hong-geun, chief instructor of counseling for the ROK Army Chaplain School. "There were some minor differences between the U.S. and ROKA chaplains such as we work at the regiment level, but they work at the battalion level, so they are more specialized.
"I liked that they do not just take care of the Soldiers, but also the families as well. It was a great opportunity for us to learn about our U.S. chaplain counterparts. Overall, it was a very educating tour."
Before heading back to the ROK Army Administrative School, the Korean and American chaplains went to the Warrior's Chapel to take a group photo.
"I was impressed by their commitment to ministry and collaboration between chaplains of various faith groups," Robinson said. "This is the beginning of many ministry engagement activities with our ROKA chaplain counterparts to enhance our neutral abilities to provide religious support to Soldiers and families serving here in Korea."
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